Tarbariitus 2025 review
The second edition of Tarbar(ii)tus is over. It is certainly a moment to celebrate but also to reflect on the challenges that we had to overcome this year.
So, where to start?
After last year’s debut of the festival and all the positive feedback we received, we decided to continue. Because what could be better than a home-grown festival organized by its own scene, somewhat as pendant to Howls of Winter in Tallinn where in both cases the main motivation lies in the passion for underground music.
First of all, we needed to find an answer to how to find another strong headliner such as we had with Loits in 2024? My biggest concern was that visitors would not return because we deliver bands that are absolutely amazing but may not be as known or popular as Loits in these parts. Thus, trust is the most important part. Trusting in us that we will make sure that whatever bands will come, it will be something special and of high quality. And frankly said, I also trusted in the support of at least some visitors who would return and support us. Because without those who support our festival either through actions (word of mouth promoting, photographing, filming, talking to bands) or supporting us financially by paying for tickets, we would not be able to do any of this.
Thus, we tried to find at least some bands that we knew were of quality but have not yet performed at Howls of Winter or in Estonia at all. Not a simple undertaking, to say the least. One of the bands we inquired was interested in coming but then we found out they were also booked for Howls. Oh well, shit happens. Then we had another band we considered to be headliner (or at least co-headliner) with whom we came to an agreement in March. Unfortunately, the band then started to write in April that they were unsure if they could make it because their guitar player might be unavailable… The whole process took until May when the band informed us that they will not make it and in the meantime have also been approached by Howls of Winter and therefore decided to cancel Tarbariitus. Great. You can think of it what you want but in the end we had lost yet another band to the North. No point in blaming anyone and I want to emphasize that certainly there lies no fault on the HoW organizers! However, we took two leaning points from the situation:
- Unfortunately, you need contracts with the bands
- The communication between our two festivals needs to be better aligned
Then there were two more bands that had to cancel: One that was almost to be announced until we got to know that their drummer cannot make it, and another one we announced but then had to cancel because the band dissolved. If that wasn’t enough, Guntis from Uguns wrote to me one day and apologized for his long silence. It was because he got attacked by a dog who bit his hand so violently that it needed to be fixed with 13 stitches. When he sent me the picture of his hand (the picture is hopefully hidden behind a warning) you can see that it looked really grim. Thankfully, Guntis recovered fully and he did not have any lasting detriment. And then he delivered a really entertaining performance, which I and surely others as well will remember for a while. Guntis, you rock!
Pretty grim, eh?
We tried to reach out to some more bands but either they were already booked or lost interest when they understood that they cannot make any money on the gig. Well, sucks to organize an Underground event with reasonable prices. But rather finding bands who come wholeheartedly than selling tickets for 120€ and having bands that show a mediocre performance and take home 3000€.
In the end, I believe this year’s lineup was really strong (which was by the way also confirmed by the feedback form). We managed to get a decent mixture of youngsters (Karachay, Aš-Šur), seasoned musicians (Goatsmegma, Dispyt, Death Kommander), aspiring underground (Protocol F40.1, Victimarum), and a real headliner who showed that they are not only excellent musicians but also a real part of the Underground (Morok, Severoth). I could continue and write another whole paragraph about the bands unmentioned in the previous sentence (Perditus, Uguns, Vortex Sutra, Blasphemian) but let me just put it like this: It felt like all bands delivered really memorable high-quality performances. And when I looked at the feedback form about what bands our visitors enjoyed, I could see that it was not a single name that stood out too much. That is a good sign.
The only thing I would do differently is have Blasphemian to perform at a different venue. It was worth a try (and I definitely enjoyed it) but at the spot I realized that a more silent, mystical atmosphere would have suited this gentleman with his very peculiar yet interesting style better. But okay, when you dare you sometimes win, sometimes lose. At least we were brave enough and tried to do something differently.
Apart from the bands, we had challenges with the artwork that was delayed until the middle of the year. Without artwork it is difficult to create flyers, any promotional material really. But even when you have all that, it is still a challenge when you don’t have the time to do all the graphical work or don’t have a headliner yet! I must admit that we found our headliner Severoth/Morok quite late because of the whole chaos that erupted as mentioned before. A huge thanks and shoutout to Gronn, who was helping to establish the communication with Illia!
Absolutely amazing performance by Morok, that was a really special show! Black Metal as it should be!
There were more challenges. Just briefly, ordering shirts from one place, letting them print at another is a “fun” activity to arrange; especially when you have to call them multiple times to align everything. Then we considered for some time what to do with this year’s band tokens. Last year we stood for 2 full days in a friend’s workshop where we made all of them by hand. A fun exercise but we thought that maybe we can try something else. Thus, the idea to use dogtags emerged. Everything arrived on time, we even had time to try out different techniques on how to place the Tarbariitus logo on it (nope, acid didn’t work). We decided that the only way to do it properly is by laser-cutting it. We found someone who could do that for a reasonable price. Oh well, of course it took a whole week to get it done (instead of 1 day as promised), promising every day again and again that it’ll be done “today”. We found the address online and were prepared to just drive there and take them back, even in their unfinished state. On Thursday evening at 23:15 Erik drove to the address because even if the guy didn’t do anything, at least we’d have the dogtags. To all of our surprise, the engraving was done and looked really good! However, this delay resulted in Märt and Regina hammering in the names 2h before the official start of the festival.
When you are organizing, you will quickly realize that you need nerves made of the same material as the dog tags: Stainless Steel. But more importantly, you need to trust your team. And thus, despite all the last minute open questions I could sleep rather well because I saw that the team learned to grow and step into challenges bare-arsed (beautiful expression by the way) and simply solve them.
Let us maybe briefly mention the smoke that shortly emerged in front of the building: This was due to a faulty diesel generator used by another room of the same building. We were able to turn it off but it should not happen in the first place, apologies for that. In any case, if you see such things, feel free to grab any of us organising guys and we’ll tend to such issues.
Just as the last point: If all of the above was not enough, around 3 months before the festival I received the information that half of the venue’s building was sold to an investor. I was really concerned that they wanted to demolish it to build new offices or living quarters. Luckily, this won’t happen for some time but we definitely need to have a plan B for the medium future in our pockets if we want to continue organizing events. There are not that many suitable venues in our modest city…
There was even more shite that happened but no point in writing a whole post only about what didn’t quite go as expected!
Alas, enough negative energy! Let us return to the things that went well!
This year’s discussion panels were a real joy to watch! Last year we heard from many people “what the heck are panels? Do you want to build something?”. In fact, it was kind of on purpose to have this gem a bit hidden because what’s more exciting when you find something you had no idea about that at the same time turns out to be “the best part of the festival” as someone phrased it? This year it felt that the discussions were a bit more natural and also interest was definitely higher than last year. Yes, there is the limitation of time (every panel is only 25 minutes long) but what can you do? We could start earlier, which would mean especially those who come after work from Tallinn or Riga would miss the first band, or we have only 3 bands on Friday. Just something to think about…
Did you notice that there were no phones held up high? Well done! Unironically, that was a huge improvement compared to last year and we only had to remind a few people to put them into their pockets. On one occasion, I even saw one guest who pointed the no-phones sign to another. Hehe, that was a joy to watch.
Creating a new Podcast was another “Schnappsidee” (as we say in German) because the peak time of Podcasts has been surpassed for a while now. But it was an idea born from curiosity – we wanted to underline why we are inviting the bands we invite. Sure, they make great music. But we also are trying to gather people with the same mindset, the very same passion for Underground music. Thus, why not talk to them so you see what/whom to expect at the festival? I believe we will continue this format and hopefully some of you will find joy in getting acquainted with the bands in a more “intimate” way than just a logo or short song snippet.
This year we also introduced an additional ticket category for youngsters, which was well-received. Even though it means lower funds, it is important to have a scene made up of different age groups so that the future does not look bleak. And you, youngsters, take this as inspiration! And when you will be older and in a similar position, try to think of ways to engage the next generation to become part of the scene.
Another personal highlight was the release of the zine “MUST”. Personally, I am extremely happy how it turned out even though it added more stress to finalize and manage the printing shortly before the festival. If you are interested in getting one for yourself, just drop an email to warhornrecords@gmail.com.
Then, another crazy coincidence happened… two bands were releasing their albums on the days of the festival! How often does that happen? I admit that one was planned (Protocol F40.1) but the second one (Victimarum) was a pleasant surprise. Considering that album release shows are rare and usually not scheduled on the exact same day, this is something to remember when the bands (what they surely will) become bigger.
Two more changes were done regarding our on-site merchants. We had Kristine with her jewellery and guitar builder Gert who showcased his latest creations which could also be tested on the spot. We shouldn’t forget Anti/1695’s tour through the town that was frequented by a fair amount of people.
Which brings me to be a bit proud that our festival, despite being so small and young, can deliver so many unique experiences that most festivals don’t even dare to dream of. For example, one person told me later:
“nice wee festival and a lot of things you already do that UK events don’t care about.”
Another one mentioned
“you made a lot of promoters look ridiculous by offering such a wide array of things to do – never in a million years would i have thought of panels, a podcast & fucking just dance for an aftershow party jesus christ. insanely inspiring, makes us want to do better and grow! also your city is fucking beautiful, keep the flame going!!”
Beautiful wording; and even though Nico looks like Jesus Christ himself, I take this just as a compliment. 😉
So, what now?
Despite all the hardship that was thrown into our way, we decided to continue. Why? Because I saw that the team did not crumble and leave everything to whoever is left standing but instead helped to solve problems, take up responsibility. A tree needs rain to grow, not sun alone.
Next year there will be another Tarbariitus, the third edition. We are already scouting the first bands and will hopefully be able to provide a couple of pleasant surprises. But the year afterwards we will most likely take a break. To muster strength. To recapture. To see where the festival should head. Maybe interest in our event will fade? Maybe the festival’s reputation will cross the borders and attract more people? Who knows…
In any case it is a huge undertaking to create something unique every year and I feel that we deserve a break and should also remind people that nothing should be taken for granted.
We organize this festival because it is our passion, because we want the underground flame to burn bright! But it is not a torch to carry alone. Without others to support, it will fade. And therefore I want to thank everyone who supported us in this second edition – meet you again at Tarbariitus 2026!
by Krux
